The Brick Factory

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Operations Director of a non-profit company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Non-profit organization spearheading research and advocacy with the objective of countering violent extremism. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire The Brick Factory to accomplish?

• Build an online knowledge hub for multi-national members of a professional network

SOLUTION

How did you find The Brick Factory?

Longtime Client

Why did you select The Brick Factory over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me

How many teammates from The Brick Factory were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

The Brick Factory developed and built out a website that is intended to be used as a knowledge hub for reports, videos, and other resources; as well as an online portal for members of a network we established of multi-national stakeholders and practitioners doing rehabilitation and reintegration work. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We had nearly 150 network members from 70 different countries register on out website/portal.  

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The Brick Factory provided a work plan up front that worked within our timeline, within our budget, and allowed for close collaboration with their team. It was important that we launched on a specific date, as we were on the timeline of a funder and other project partners--and we always felt that we were in good hands. 

The Brick Factory team was very thorough in their communications with us, helping those of us who weren't as well-versed understand technical concepts. Their response to urgent questions or asks was always swift, and they typically replied with 24 hours for anything non-urgent. 

What was your primary form of communication with The Brick Factory?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The Brick Factory team is one of the kindest teams we've worked with. Of course there is the superb technical expertise and knowledge they have, the great aesthetic sense, and everything they showed for in the project itself--but it's the people and work culture that were very apparent and make all the difference. 

Are there any areas for improvement or something The Brick Factory could have done differently?

We don't have much to say here! They covered all our/their bases. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

VP of Marketing for an online non-profit University based in California.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Brick Factory, and what were your goals?

Following a merger of two institutions and a need to create a new representation of the combined entities we needed to overhaul our websites and create plans for retiring some websites. Additionally, we were faced with high turnover in our web development group and needed to kick the work off and complete the majority of it in essentially 6 months.

The Brick Factory made it possible for us to complete these goals as they provided both strategic, consultative direction relative to platform, content, and approach, as well as executional support in getting the web development work completed.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

In a previous organization I had worked with The Brick Factory and knew that their work and ability to seamlessly partner with an organization is outstanding. With the necessity to deliver results on a high-visibility, high-stakes project I knew The Brick Factory could deliver. They were able to step in wherever we had personnel gaps, and I felt incredibly fortunate this group was available to partner with us.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Scope of the work is both strategic and tactical, and we have many projects The Brick Factory has supported. Across all these projects The Brick Factory has been an invaluable partner in terms of creating an overall project plan with phases and milestones that could be shared with stakeholders as well as guide cross-functional teams.

1. Website Overhaul Project/s First assessing current technology stacks, website platforms (Drupal and Wordpress), content and helping us determine a path forward. It included maintaining current sites across both Drupal and Wordpress, created new templates, UX design for improved experiences and interactions with web visitors, and backend development. Scope of this project was extensive and included assessment of +8,000 pages, rebranding of over 4,000 pages, and creation of all new web templates.
2.  Application Updates Extensive work has been completed on our forms. This group worked to design an updated application experience and other forms. This has involved UX/UI work and design, middleware selection and setup, connection to backend development across both Salesforce, Peoplesoft, and multiple internal systems.
3. Website retirement planning Planning for the transition of product content from one organization website to the site that represents both organizations. Partnering with content, SEO, design, CRO, and paid advertising resources within our team. Creating task list of needed work as well as a timeline for completion.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

6-8 people worked on our project. Principle (acting as IT subject-matter expert and project lead). Project Manager. Designer (UI/UX work, mockups, design). Developers (front-end and back-end working on Drupal, Wordpress, middleware, and system and analytic databases).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

These projects have been a huge success, we were able to get our main prospect website overhauled with updated content, templates, branding and experiences. It was completed in record time within basically 7 months and launched to coincide with a brand refresh and campaign launch. Additionally, the form updates

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

The Brick Factory feels more like an internal partner than an external vendor. They use slack to easily integrate into team with IM throughout the day and are great about joining any meetings we'd like them to attend.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

I've worked with many 3rd-party teams across my career. The Brick Factory is one of the rare groups who actually care about my organization's success as much as I do. Often they're easier to contact, more readily available than some of my internal team. They have excellent IT and web expertise and an incredible ability to build trust and effective partnerships.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Invaluable partner for me and my organization. I can't imagine how they could be a better partner or how I'd have managed without them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the global communications director of the International Youth Foundation. We work to equip and support young people with training for job appliances and general life aspects.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with The Brick Factory?

We needed help with web design and development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Brick Factory provides web development services. In addition, they've assisted us with moving our platform to Drupal, publishing our annual digital impact reports, and other iterations to make our site more user-friendly.

For the reports, we provide them with the content we want on them, and then they send us a link where we can review how everything looks before going live.

In terms of the web development part, they've added an informational page with our organization's story, who our teams are, and who's on our board of directors. In addition, it has a drop-down menu, a map with our locations worldwide, a section that talks about our organization's work, and it also allows visitors to donate to our cause or join it.

What was the team composition? 

I've been mainly working with Maylene (Project Manager), but Todd and Jerry are also involved in the process.

How did you come to work with The Brick Factory?

We found them online.

How much have you invested in them?

We pay them a monthly retainer, and so far, we've spent around $35,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2017, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The website they created for us is our main form of communication with our audience and potential donors — the site has become an instrumental tool for our organization. Overall, they’re easy to work with, and their customer service is amazing, making us feel like we’re their only client.

How did The Brick Factory perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team delivers on time, stays within budget, is responsive, and is personable. In terms of tools and communication, we use email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their level of responsiveness and ability to address our problems are their best attributes. Moreover,  they focus on being cost-effective to avoid charging us extra if we need additional work hours to get something done.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think they can improve anything — I’ve been happy with their work.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The Brick Factory is the best choice if you’re looking for a responsive and timely partner.

BACKGROUND

I’m the director of marketing and communications for a nonprofit called Nature Forward. We focus on the environment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Brick Factory?

We were in the process of changing our name, so we needed technical assistance in redesigning our website to fit the new brand. Our goal was to have our old URL redirect users to our new site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Brick Factory has supported our name change from a technical standpoint. First, we had several meetings to discuss the new website's design and functionality goals. We also shared our original site with the team and outlined the changes we wanted to make. For example, we needed to make the site more accessible for users with sight issues. 

The Brick Factory has used custom code to redesign our entire website to reflect our new name and branding. Users can visit our new website to learn more about our programs and enroll. The team has also moved hundreds of pages of our original content to the new site with a new server. Finally, they’ve been helping us finalize some of our training for the website.

Moving forward, the team will maintain the site and address any technical issues.

What is the team composition?

We’ve primarily worked with a project manager, but other team members have supported us. 

How did you come to work with The Brick Factory? 

We found The Brick Factory through our RFP process. They submitted a proposal that aligned with our goals, and they had the necessary technical and design expertise. Furthermore, they’d designed great websites for similar nonprofits, so we were confident in their ability to deliver on our asks. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested roughly $25,000 in the partnership with The Brick Factory. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with The Brick Factory in August 2022, and the partnership is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Although it’s too early to share metrics, our main goal was to get the site up and running for our new name launch. Thankfully, The Brick Factory has worked hard to complete the website on time and help us achieve our goal.

Working with them has been great, and our team has been universally satisfied with the partnership. We have a lot of internal departments that rely on our website to meet their needs, and everyone has been happy with their work. 

How did The Brick Factory perform from a project management standpoint?

The Brick Factory has delivered work on time and on budget. We’ve felt comfortable asking questions and have developed a strong workflow. Although we’ve typically interacted with our project manager, they’ve copied all team members on communications. Other team members have stepped in to address our requests as needed, which has been nice. They’ve been exceptionally responsive via email, and we’ve met regularly via Google Meet.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve been most impressed with The Brick Factory’s willingness to provide technical support outside the website redesign. They’ve helped us solve several problems.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have nothing The Brick Factory could improve on. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of Gabby Bernstein, Inc, a wellness organization focused on best-selling motivational books.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Brick Factory?

We wanted to migrate our database from our CRM to a new system, but we decided to expand the project’s scope to rebuilding a completely new website and putting together our tech stack.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Brick Factory is helping us develop our WordPress site from scratch, migrate all of our data to the new platform, and integrate our app’s interface to the system’s backend. They’ve guided us throughout the process and recommended what we should incorporate into our tech stack. 

Regarding technologies, they’re managing WooCommerce, Stripe, Apple Pay, PayPal, and Mixpanel.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with around seven members of their team, including Todd (CEO), Chris (Lead Architect), and Morgan (Client Services).

How did you come to work with The Brick Factory?

Our CEO found them.

How much money have you invested in this partnership?

So far, we’ve spent around $500,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2019, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

They've developed a deep understanding of our business. They've also been able to support us in decision-making around our development needs, which has helped us scale our business considerably to increase sales.

How did The Brick Factory perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is fantastic. Regarding communication and tools, we use spreadsheets, Slack, email, InVision, and weekly meetings to track the process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their approach to finding the right solution is outstanding because they're very dedicated to understanding our needs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't think there's anything they can improve on because they're a fantastic team.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make the most of their expertise and share your objectives as much as possible.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I handle operations and finance for a leading professional development program specializing in digital media training.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Brick Factory, and what were your goals?

Our registration and e-commerce website was very outdated and did not provide a good customer experience. Moreover, we needed a way to seamlessly enroll students into our online learning platform after registration. So we hired Brick Factory to upgrade our registration and web cart, and to link up the auto-enrollment. And it needed to be done within the framework of our already existing website.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

This vendor was a referral through another unit on our campus. Brick Factory immediately understood the challenges we were facing and the solutions, and they were also able to meet our budget.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We had several meetings to discuss the types of features we wanted for our registration experience, since it needed to be more than just a simple cart and checkout. Broadly, Brick Factory integrated the WooCommerce shopping experience, with the addition of some plugins, into our existing site architecture. But, they also added several important features that we needed:

1. A streamlined way to have the user check out and also be auto-enrolled into our learning platform and

A way to easily track enrolled participants in a format that wasn't available through WooCommerce. We had weekly meetings with the team to go over progress and fine-tune everything. I'm happy to say that Brick Factory was able to custom build the above items and we are pleased with the result.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Our main point of contact was a project manager, who we had weekly meetings with. We also met with a lead architect and the CEO along the way. There were also two web developers on the job though we did not meet with them directly.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

From a user perspective, the cart and checkout experience is enormously better than it was before.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

I found that the Brick Factory team was very responsive and easy to work with. We had weekly meetings with them, but also emailed with them as things came up or if we had questions. Once we were in the testing phase, we met with them more frequently. I appreciate how much the project manager met with me to answer questions and to walk me through the features and functionality of the program.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

We were very pleased that they worked creatively to find solutions for the two features we needed (listed above). I also appreciate how responsive they were to answer all our questions. Would definitely work with Brick Factory again!

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

As new users of WooCommerce, in the beginning of the project it would have been useful for us to know more of what its capabilities and features were. I think that would have helped smooth the way more at the start of the project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the general manager of the American Pops Orchestra. We’re a six-year-old, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in Washington, DC. We focus on reimagining popular American music and presenting approachable concerts for audiences of all ages and backgrounds.

We do a lot of concerts on PBS nationally, mini outreach programs, free children’s touring, and collegiate vocal competitions to find the next generation of artists and give them an entry into the world of music.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Brick Factory?

We started to reach a national audience through our programming on PBS. Our programming is aired all through the US. Still, our past primary audience was in the DC, Maryland, Virginia, and New York area, so we needed help expanding our audience to people across the country that might see us on PBS or catch one of our programs. We wanted to find a way to keep them engaged and help them connect that what they’re seeing on TV is the American Pops Orchestra. Basically, we needed to find a way to connect with these audiences beyond what they see on TV one time so that they’ll check out our other programs and continue to watch our upcoming presentations.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve had a few different contracts with The Brick Factory and are currently on an hourly contract with them. In the past, we’ve done project-specific contracts regarding our marketing. We’d plan out what we wanted around one of our TV shows. Then, they’d prepare an ad set for us, and we’d decide how much of an ad spend we wanted, how much lead-up time we needed, and how long we wanted to run the ads for.

They’d basically come back to us with an entire marketing plan engaging our organic and paid advertising strategy. They’d critique any organic content that we’d prepared, prepare our paid marketing content, run that, and report back to us. Since we decided on our goals, The Brick Factory has become a part of our marketing strategy. They help us along the way, even if we decide to change our plans.

Initially, our goal was to gain more Instagram followers, but we also saw that we had a ton of Facebook interaction and wanted to include that as well, so we added it to the project. They came back with a strategy with the different levels of ad spend and helped us decide what would be best for our organization depending on our budget and how well the other ads did. Overall, they’ve collaborated with us on our social media and social marketing strategy.

We’ve primarily done Google, Facebook, and Instagram ads. The Brick Factory has also helped with keywords on our website, the email content for our audiences, and direct marketing ideas. We’ve reached out directly to organizations we thought would be interested in some of our other programs. Meanwhile, they’ve given us advice on the best ways to do that, the best things to highlight overall, and any marketing strategies that we’re doing. Additionally, they’ve been happy to give their ideas and input while working for the online ads.

The Brick Factory has helped us with SEO as well. They’ve done keyword research and helped us find the best keywords to include with our website. Moreover, they’ve researched what words to include in our ads and done some hashtag keyword work to figure out what will get us the most eyes on our posts for our organic social media.

What is the team composition?

We’ve primarily worked with Katie (Director of Account Management and Marketing) and Audrey (Digital Strategist). Additionally, I’ve had some brief correspondence with their financial person to ensure the invoices are taken care of and the contracts are all up to date.

How did you come to work with The Brick Factory?

Initially, my boss and the organization's founder wanted to transition to a new social media contracting team to help us out. He researched different organizations in the DC or the DMV area and found a few. Then, he asked them for quotes and proposals.

We liked The Brick Factory’s proposal — we liked what they had to offer and their ideas after just looking at our social media. We did a one-month trial on one specific show to see how it would work out. Then, we continued to expand our contract, and it went so well that we decided to move to an hourly contract to have them fully on board with what we do.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve collectively spent about $25,000. They covered some of our ad spend in the beginning, and we did a reimbursement for that. Now, we’ve transitioned to covering our ad spend and paying just for their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in July 2021, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Working with them has been great because they send us the results at the end of the day, and we’ve been delighted with the results we’ve seen. Also, they send regular updates and compare the ads to see how the last one did.

Our primary goal is to gain followers, and we’ve seen our Instagram followers go up a ton over the past month. We gained 500 from a recent ad set and around 400 Facebook likes from a two-week ad set, and we only spent around $1,500 doing both of those. Those are just the recent results that we’ve seen, but The Brick Factory has grown our overall social media engagement.

How did The Brick Factory perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very responsive and excellent at meeting deadlines. If we email them a new idea, we usually hear back that same day, either with their thoughts on it or a commitment to get back to us as soon as possible. They have a quick timeline turnaround with preparing ad sets for our reviews and are always fantastic at giving us reports on how our ad sets are doing. Even if we haven’t asked for them, they keep us in the loop and break it down for us in layman’s terms so we can understand what’s going on.

Overall, they’re receptive and responsive. The team tells us ahead of time exactly what they need and expect in terms of content so we can pass it to them and set them up for success. That way, they don’t have to wait on us for anything.

We typically communicate via email. Sometimes we use shared Google documents just to keep us up to date. Anything they’re keeping us posted on, they send it through email. Also, they have access to our Google and Facebook ad accounts.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Communication is excellent, and their willingness to go above and beyond for any ideas that we may have is outstanding. They prioritize our needs above what might be better for them and give us honest feedback on ad spending. All in all, their communication, receptiveness to our ideas, and honesty have been really important.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we’ve been very pleased overall.  We really enjoy working with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Try them out with a starting contract to see if it works. Also, go into it knowing your goals, whether it is building social media interaction or gaining followers. Having a clear idea of what you want out of the relationship before getting started is vital because it can help them to push you towards those goals.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior communications manager of a nonprofit organization serving Japanese and Japanese-American older adults in Southern California.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Brick Factory?

Our organization was undergoing a lot of changes, so we needed someone to revamp our site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Brick Factory rebuilt our website. They used our existing platform, which was WordPress, and designed an entirely new look for it. 

We asked for a modern interface that was easily navigable for our core audience, so the team reorganized the whole website to be American Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant. They also gave us a few design options to choose from.

We’ve since gone through a minor revamp using the same process. The Brick Factory continues to maintain and improve our site.

What is the team composition?

We primarily work with Katie (Director of Account Management & Marketing), but 2–3 teammates are assigned to the project.

How did you come to work with The Brick Factory?

Our former CEO referred them to us.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $40,000 on the major revamp. Afterward, our monthly retainer has been $1,500.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in January 2018 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

The revamp has gone well. We’re impressed with The Brick Factory’s ability to work remotely with us. Furthermore, they’ve done a great job of ensuring that their work is modern yet navigable and ADA compliant.

Our partnership has been ongoing for four years, and we see a lot of significant benefits to working with them.

How did The Brick Factory perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve done an excellent job of keeping the project on track and working within our budget. If we ask The Brick Factory to deliver earlier than usual, they always accommodate us and adjust the timeline accordingly. We use Basecamp to manage the project.

In terms of communication, they’re always communicative and readily available despite the time zone difference. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The Brick Factory produces high-quality work, and we’ve had a great experience with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The timeline hasn’t been as clear-cut recently, and we’ve experienced some minor delays. However, they’ve done a very good job overall.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Set clear expectations — they’re very good at working around a limited budget as long as you communicate that early on.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive director of a new international relations nonprofit.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Brick Factory?

We needed their team’s expertise in website development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Brick Factory developed our WordPress website from scratch. We specifically needed its UX to be straightforward and professional to align with our nonprofit’s mission and vision, so their team took that into consideration during the planning stage.

Apart from the design, The Brick Factory also integrated a few interactive and clickable features into the platform, including a news page that they constantly updated. Upon completing the product, we continued to rely on their team for our site’s maintenance and management.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a team of five resources, including the CEO, developers, and account managers.

How did you come to work with The Brick Factory?

Our CEO already worked with The Brick Factory on a similar project, and they were highly recommended to us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our project ran from February–June 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The Brick Factory developed a sophisticated website that easily gathered affirmations from users and the members of our advisory board. Apart from its appearance, we were also impressed with the overall quality and responsiveness of the website, which endured a cyber attack that occurred 24 hours after our go-live. Their team generated a high-quality and reliable website based on our requirements and their innovative ideas.

How did The Brick Factory perform from a project management standpoint?

We mainly communicated via email and phone calls. The Brick Factory was an accommodating and cooperative team— they were simply on top of their project management game. They helped us overcome technical issues and were always prepared to lay out multiple options for us to choose from. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The Brick Factory was a knowledgeable team — they anticipated our needs and generated spot-on solutions to address these.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I would’ve appreciated a more complex website, but I’m well aware that The Brick Factory wasn’t in the position to decide on that since they were just implementing what we stated in the project brief.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re an experienced team with valuable insights, so you must have enough room for communication.